July Giveaway: Lizzy Ford Interview and Bundle Giveaway!

Who wants some Lizzy? I knew you better than you know yourself because I anticipated that All The Things Lovers would jump to make a home for these autographed books! What is included in this bundle you ask; let me settle your curiosity. This giveaway is for the History Interrupted novels: East, and West. But that isn’t all! No, I also bought The Omega Beginnings Miniseries to accompany the History Interrupted novels and really make wags tail.

BUT FIRST ON THE LIZZY FORD SHOW: ALI ASKS THE HARD QUESTIONS

All The Things Inbetween: You’re so prolific; how has the process evolved from the start of your storytelling to the point you are at now?

Lizzy Ford: It’s gotten faster and smarter, I think. Storytelling gets easier the more you do it, and so does the technical part of writing. I’ve developed several distinct writing styles over the years, too, which helps me expand readership.

All The Things Inbetween: This past year you quietly branched out into writing Erotic Romance as S.E. Reign. Why not connect S.E. Reign with Lizzy more to make the 101 Nights Novellas better known?

Lizzy Ford: I’m pretty open about Lizzy and SE Reign being the same person! But the Lizzy fan base grew out of books that are sweet (no graphic sex) romance. I wanted to preserve the more story-focused Lizzy brand so readers who grab a Lizzy Ford book (namely my core fan base) know it’s more about the story than the sex. I also wanted to have basically a Lizzy-after-dark pen name and experiment with writing erotic romance and developing a new style. I learned (through reviews and feedback) that sweet romance readers and young adult readers read sweet romance for a reason and don’t usually want graphic sex in their books. Whereas it seems like those readers who like erotic romance won’t shy away from the sweet romances.

All The Things Inbetween: There has been an ongoing update of your cover wrappers over this past year, how do you feel the rebranding is going?

Lizzy Ford: The rebranding is mainly to change up some of the covers that either featured stock photos that are on a ton of other covers or to improve older covers I didn’t feel told the story well enough. There’s only a couple more on my list to swap out, though it might take another year to update everything I feel needs it. My current writing schedule (and cover needs) are pretty demanding right now!

All The Things Inbetween: Who is the graphics designer you have been working with?

Lizzy Ford: I work almost exclusively with Eden Crane. Every once in a while, a premade from another cover designer will catch my eye, and I’ll buy it for one of my books. I’m constantly scouting for unique and different photographs, too, because many of the great stock photos end up on so many covers. I’d rather have a unique cover. When I find a cool photo, I’ll usually ask Eden for her opinion before buying then buy and send to her for whichever cover I have in mind.

All The Things Inbetween: Your blog/website has a clever title, I always wondered how you came up with the title Guerrilla Wordfare?

Lizzy Ford: I wanted something that spoke to me as an author but also was kind of fun and incorporated the idea that indies generally use guerrilla marketing compared to the traditional way of doing business!

All The Things Inbetween: The business end of your publicity and sales is in concert with your family, do you have any worries that enlarging your collection at the rate you are going may raise the need for a larger management than you have been working with?

Lizzy Ford: I actually scaled back this year! I delegate when needed, hire help when needed and also am very good about constantly re-evaluating everything I do and every expense I have so I can get rid of anything that’s not serving my business goals. One of the lessons I learned from my pre-writing life was that success depends on efficiency in the background. I don’t add expenses or hire help unless absolutely necessary, and I consider such expenses temporary until I’ve managed to make my processes more efficient and effective.

All The Things Inbetween: Why remain an Indie Author when your collection would easily score you an authorship from an established publishing company?

Lizzy Ford: Aside from the fact I couldn’t make a living if I were with a publisher?! Haha! Publishers are notoriously bad on the financial front for traditionally published authors! As an indie, I keep all my royalties (after the stores get their cut) and have complete freedom to choose my covers, to revise according to what I believe the stories need, to market my books effectively, and so on. Finally, I can mix genres, write in subgenres traditional publishers aren’t interested in, and basically, have 100% freedom in what I write and how.

All The Things Inbetween: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Lizzy!

Back to wags tailing!

This giveaway is to help spread the story of my boy kitty, Mr. Frank White. At the end of June he was rushed to the Sorrento Valley, Veterinary Specialty Hospital in acute kidney failure. We lost a kitty to kidney failure a few years ago and it destroyed us; we were determined not to make the wrong decision about Frankie getting kidney surgery if we couldn’t get a better than good chance he would have a rich and happy life afterward. Dr. Fred Pike was the veterinary surgeon who did the surgery and other than kidney stones and being porky Dr. Pike thought he was a great candidate. He has bounced right back and he’s lost some weight (4lbs); he’s more active and happier. We are happy to have him!

But… his medical costs have been over $13,000US. So we are looking for people who will donate or share his story.

So, yes! You get to enter this giveaway AND you help fund Frankie’s care and spread his story. Donations are NOT MANDATORY but they are appreciated and even single dollar donations will get us closer to our goal!

me-OW… me-Ow…me-OW…YAWN!

Lizzy Ford Books:

History Interrupted Series:

Omega Beginnings Miniseries:

Incubatti Series:

Sons of War Series:

Heart of Fire Series:

Starwalker Serials (with Julia Crane):

Rhyn Trilogy:

Rhyn Eternal Series:

Witchling Series:

War of Gods Series:

Damian Eternal Series:

Broken Beauties Novellas:

Stand Alones or First in Series:

Writing as S.E. Reign:

101 Nights: Elijah and Natalie:

101 Nights: George and Alisha:

West Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE:

Take a survey while you wait!Only three questions!Free $50 gift card!

Fifty dollars was a lot when my bank account was close to zero.

I stepped out of the stream of tourists strolling along the covered wooden sidewalks of Tombstone, Arizona, and paused before the table with an iPad laying next to the propped up sign. It was over a hundred and twenty degrees in the shade and even hotter in the brilliant midafternoon sun. The stores were packed. The beverage sellers at each corner of the tourist district wore heavy period clothing that made me feel sorry for them, as evidenced by the collection of overpriced water bottles weighing down my purse.

The first page of the survey was pulled on the iPad’s screen, just waiting for someone to stop and fill it out.

“Why isn’t this place crowded?” No one even glanced this way. Either it was my lucky day or I was the only person wondering how I was going to pay off student loans after graduating college. “My lucky day!” I placed my purse down on the table, picked up the tablet and glanced at the window of the store behind the survey.

It wasn’t a souvenir or jewelry shop or western-themed eatery like every other business lining the sidewalks of the popular tourist spot. The pictures in the window were sad –of Old West pioneers burying their dead and Native Americans being marched in chains while flanked by cavalry members on horseback. It was a stark reminder of how gritty life back then had been.

Every kid who was ever forced to take an American History class knew how the Old West was won and the natives suppressed, and I had read every book about the era I was able to find when I was in high school. I wasn’t certain why this store was in the heart of a tourist trap, unless the city was trying to keep things more authentic than the Old West souvenirs made in China.

Seeing the photos made my heart hurt for the long dead people.

“Are you interested in the history of the Wild West?” asked a male voice.

I looked over, not expecting the stranger to be as stunning as he was.

He smiled. Tall, trim and sexy, with sparkling blue eyes and dark hair, he wasn’t much older than I was, maybe the age of the Masters students in the university where I had recently graduated with my Bachelors in a field unrelated to the Old West: modern languages. He had charming dimples in both cheeks that gave him a boyish appearance, exotically high cheekbones and a tilt to his almond-shaped eyes.

Déjà vu. I knew I’d never seen him before, but the sense we had met at some point was strong. Never one to pass up talking to a man stunning enough to be a Hollywood A Lister, I lowered the tablet and smiled.

“I’m not really into American history anymore. I was obsessed with the Old West when I was in high school, but I grew out of it,” I answered. “I minored in European History in college.”

“So you do like history?”

“Yeah. Civilized history, I guess.”

“Civilized?” He laughed. “Tell that to Genghis Khan when you meet him! I mean … if you meet him.” He blushed. “If you go back in time and …”

He reminded me of my youngest cousin, a super brain who was awkward around women. It didn’t seem possible this man had issues with women, though, because he was absolutely hot. The fact I resembled the perfect blond haired, blue eyed, bubbly cheerleader drew all kinds of attention from men, but none had blushed quite like this.

“It’s okay if you want to try that again,” I said, struggling not to laugh.

“Thanks.” His cheeks were almost purple with embarrassment. “I meant to say, I don’t think there’s such a thing. If we were to go back in time, I think we’d find the past anything but civilized.”

“Good thing we’re in the here and now.” I glanced at his nametag. Carter, History Interrupted, Inc. “You’re the one doing the survey?”

“Fits the period.” He appeared relieved I wasn’t freaked out, his smile large and dimples larger. “Lucky guess.”

This is strange. “Nice to meet you, Carter, I think.” I picked up the tablet again. “Is this one of those surveys where you try to sell me a timeshare before you give me my gift card?” I was cute, petite and quick to smile; it was how I always managed to get away with talking to people the way I did.

“It’s an absolute honor to meet you, Josie. And no, there’s no timeshare involved. Can I at least give you my pitch?” he asked hopefully. “I’ve always wanted to talk to you. To someone like you. To someone who …” He was flustered again.

“Wait, stop there! Let me put you out of your misery.” I smiled, taking pity on the socially awkward man. “Tell me about the survey or your project or whatever it is you’re doing.”

There’s something odd about this guy. Not in a bad way, just like a lost puppy that clung to the first human to show it kindness. The combination of Hollywood looks –but no clue how to talk to women –and his over the top enthusiasm about meeting me were endearing. I liked him almost immediately.

“What if I told you that all this,” he waved at the pictures on the window, “could’ve been prevented? That one man started a chain of events that ended with the near destruction of the native peoples of North America?” His eyes glowed, and he became animated, his hands complementing his words with flourishes. “Just one man. Someone who may not have known the impact of what he did? Maybe he made one tiny choice, like you did this morning when you put on black yoga pants instead of jeans.”

I wasn’t able to stop my smile. His passion was apparent. “I’d say that’s an amazing discovery. But … does it matter now?” I asked, puzzled.

“Have you ever seen Doctor Who?”

I laughed. “Yeah.” “Just … pretend I’m the Doctor and you’re my companion and we can go back to any point in time. Okay?”

I nodded.

“One man in the eighteen forties made a single choice that forever changed the landscape –”

“His pants,” I said, grinning.

“–right or something else. Whatever it was, he did it on September twenty fourth, eighteen forty-two. So he does this one thing, and bam. The lives of nearly a million Native Americans and tens of thousands of pioneers are lost over the course of a century.”

My eyes returned to the pictures. This … speech, if it could be called that, was a bit morbid. I understood his point, even if I didn’t really get why we were playing this hypothetical game.

“What would you do if you could go back in time?” he asked. “Would you stop him if it saved a million lives?”

“Yeah. Who wouldn’t?”

“There are some people who think history is chiseled in stone, that it shouldn’t change, even if we could.”

I shook my head. “I don’t agree with that at all. I mean, assuming we one day had the ability to time travel, why shouldn’t we go back and help those who didn’t have a chance? We could do so much good, save the planet from all the abuse we’ve caused during the globalization age, stop men like Hitler. Of course I’d change things.”

He was smiling. “Good. You’re very idealistic.”

“My uncle says the same,” I said and rolled my eyes. “I’m not totally naïve. I know there are bad people who might try to go back and change things to make themselves billionaires or get revenge on the Homecoming queen who rejected them or whatever. But I’d like to think humans are naturally good and if given such a power, we’d use it wisely.”

Carter looked at me a little too long, his features glowing again. I was always friendly, especially since he was starting to remind me of the guys in The Big Bang Theory, who were uncomfortable talking to other humans in general. “Is that … it?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Didn’t mean to stare.” He shifted feet like an excited child on Christmas Eve. “Just if you could, take the survey, so I get credit for something today. It’s only three questions.”

“What kind of research are you doing?”

“It’s a relatively new discipline of history. There’s a lot of psychology that goes into determining how our outlooks of our world have changed over the years. What we once viewed as moral and just is now barbaric, and so on.”

“That sounds interesting,” I said. But not my thing at all. Such a complex subject seemed right up the alley of the man I suspected was a genius behind all his blushing.

“It’s so beyond fascinating, I could spend days … but I won’t. I’ll let you complete the survey.” He moved way to give me space.

Amused, I turned my attention to the iPad, unable to shake the sense of déjà vu. After I filled out the portion for my name and age, I swiped to the second screen.

If you could go back in time to prevent atrocities such as the Trail of Tears experienced by the Native Americans, and the massacring of pioneers caught between native warriors and the Calvary, would you?

Lizzy Ford is the award winning, internationally acclaimed author of over thirty five books written for young adult, new adult and adult romance readers, to include the internationally bestselling Rhyn Trilogy, Witchling Series and the War of Gods series. Considered a freak of nature by her peers for the ability to write and release a commercial quality novel in under a month, Lizzy has focused on keeping her readers happy by producing brilliant, gritty romances that remind people why true love is a trial worth enduring.

Lizzy’s books can be found in every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords. She lives in southern Arizona with her husband, three dogs and a cat.

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I’m looking for authors and victims willing to write guest blogs, reviews and interviews for All The Things Inbetween. If you would be interested in taking part please drop me an email and I will send you a thank you picture of a kitten!

My soul share moved across the veil November 12, 2017 and someday the part of me that is she will once more be whole again. The mourning is a beautiful pain.

Meet Ms. Ali Cat

Ali Crean is a writer, reader, nerd, opinion giver, and needer of much more coffee. She lives within the grand limits of America’s Finest City: San Diego, CA. You can often find her taking long walks catching Pokémon (see below for friend code).